This invention relates to a shotgun shell having a flight path indicator for use in training sportsman and/or marksman for improved accuracy in striking moving targets.
In the past, untrained sportsman attempting to strike targets generally punch hole in the sky and accidentally hit a moving target. No feedback system and/or device is known which assists in the training of a sportsman attempting to strike a target as to whether a shot was high, low, in front of, or behind a moving target.
In sporting and/or training activities such as trap shooting, skeet shooting, sporting clays, and/or marksmanship practice, a sportsman would find it extremely helpful to visualize the flight path and/or trajectory of a shot at a moving target so that the sportsman could adjust his/her aim to hit moving targets more consistently and accurately.
In the past, tracer devices have been used in association with a shotgun shell where the tracers have included combustible and/or other pyrotechnic materials to attempt to visually approximate the path of shot expelled from a shotgun shell. The use of combustible devices frequently resulted in undesirable fires and/or fire hazards rendering use unsafe and impractical.
A need therefore exists for a non-combustible flight path indicator for use in a shotgun shell which accurately displays and/or follows the flight path of shotgun shot shell as discharged at a moving target.
Also, in the past, the combustible pyrotechnic tracer materials were costly to manufacture and incorporate into a standard shotgun shell casing. As a result, the use of combustible pyrotechnic tracers was uneconomical for use as a training aid for many marksmen.
No tracer is currently known which is non-combustible and which is readily observable by a sportsman for use as a training aid in target shooting.
In the past, a problem has existed with all tracers when used in targeting fast moving crossing objects. A sportsman and/or marksman in these instances has experienced difficulty determining whether a tracer has passed ahead of, or behind, an object such as a crossing clay. This problem generally involves an optical illusion where the eye follows the fast moving crossing target. Therefore, the tracer appears to arc left or right depending upon which direction the target is traveling. The tracer does not have an arcuate trajectory with the exception of loss of altitude due to gravity. Tracers used with fast moving crossing targets appear to indicate that the shot was slightly ahead of a target when, in fact, the shot was slightly behind the target. As best understood this problem results from the limitations of binocular vision which degrades in effectiveness beyond approximately 20 feet from an individual. Usually, a tracer is used with little or no reference points which are unavailable within a sky background. Therefore, the tracer appears to have traveled further and faster than is actually the case. The absence of reference points causes the tracer to appear to have passed ahead of a fast moving target when the tracer actually passed slightly behind the object. The tracer is never faster than the expelled shotgun projectiles.
To solve the binocular vision problem an observable non-combustible flight path indicator may be used. The non-combustible flight path indicator may have an adjustable flight path which varies depending upon the size of the indicator and/or the amount of ballast used within the indicator. An optically improved representation of a flight path may therefore be provided which more accurately reflects a true flight path for an expelled shotgun shell with respect to a fast moving crossing target.
Another problem with the tracers as known is the difficulty in observation of the tracers within the first 20 feet following discharge from a shotgun barrel. A need, therefore, exists to enhance visibility of the flight path indicator for observation by sportsmen/marksmen at the earliest opportunity following discharge from a shotgun shell.
Another problem with tracers as known is the difficulty in observation of the tracer in various atmospheric conditions such as glare, back light, and/or cloudy light. A need, therefore, exists to enhance visibility of the flight path indicator for observation by sportsmen/marksmen at the earliest opportunity within varying weather conditions.
In the past, simulators have been attempted to approximate the flight path of projectiles from a shotgun shell. The simulators as known generally completely fill a shotgun shell casing replacing the standard shot. A problem with these simulators was the inability to strike and break targets due to the low velocity and inaccuracy of the flight path simulating materials. A sportsman/marksman was therefore denied a desired system of training and/or feedback for visually observing the breaking of a target. The usefulness of the simulator devices was, therefore, extremely marginal.